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November is Falls Prevention Month. This year, let’s create a movement to prevent falls in older adults!

Fifteen provincial and national organizations across Canada, including Finding Balance Ontario, have come together to lead the movement for Falls Prevention Month 2015. Now, we’re calling on you to join the collective and maximize our impact.

Healthcare organizations can participate in the falls prevention movement by organizing an initiative for November 2015. Big or small, every initiative can make a difference!

If your organization is interested in joining the movement, please contact Lindsay Toth at lindsay@onf.org.

The first Fall Prevention Month took place throughout November 2015 with the goal of raising the profile of fall prevention in older adults. The Partners for Fall Prevention Month (an Ontario-focused group) created a toolkit to help other organizations promote November 2015 as Fall Prevention Month. Overall, Fall Prevention Month was a success with over 2,530 toolkit downloads and over 6,165 participants across Ontario and beyond taking part in Fall Prevention Month initiatives! The 2015 toolkit will remain posted until March 31st, 2016. Please take advantage of downloading these resources before we take down the toolkit, as we attempt to plan for Fall Prevention Month 2016. Stay tuned for more information regarding Fall Prevention Month 2016, including updates on the new toolkit! If you have any questions or would like to provide any feedback, please contact Lindsay Toth (
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
). Thank you for taking part in Fall Prevention Month 2015!

Join the fall prevention month movement!

The Partners for Fall Prevention Month have created a toolkit to help other organizations promote November as Fall Prevention Month. Any organization can download and use this toolkit free of charge. You have permission to reproduce and distribute all the resources and to borrow our ideas for events and programming.

The toolkit contains:

Suggestions for impactful, one-time fall prevention activities and events to hold during November

Information on evidence-informed and evaluated fall prevention programs you can implement for long term results

Falls are a serious issue for older adults. One in three older adults fall each year. Older Canadians are more likely to suffer an injury from falling than the rest of the population1. Canada spends $6.2 billion per year addressing fall-related injuries despite the fact that falls in older adults are predictable and preventable2. We are declaring November 2015 to be a month where we pool our collective efforts to prevent falls and injuries from falls in older adults. Let’s raise the profile of fall prevention and help everyone see their part in keeping our seniors healthy and active.

It takes a community to prevent a fall. We all have a role to play!

Toolkit

The Partners for Fall Prevention Month have created a toolkit to help other organizations promote November 2015 as Fall Prevention Month. Any organization can download and use this toolkit free of charge. You have permission to reproduce and distribute all the resources and to borrow our ideas for events and programming.

The toolkit contains:

Suggestions for impactful, one-time fall prevention activities and events to hold during November

Information on evidence-informed and evaluated fall prevention programs you can implement for long term results

November is Fall Prevention Month. This year, let’s create a movement to prevent falls in older adults.

Fifteen provincial and national organizations across Canada, including Finding Balance Ontario, have come together to lead the movement for Fall Prevention Month 2015. Now, we’re calling on you to join the collective and maximize our impact.

Healthcare practitioners can participate in the falls prevention movement by organizing an initiative for November 2015. Big or small, every initiative can make a difference!

If your organization is interested in joining the movement, please contact Lindsay Toth at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
.

Because we spend so much time there, the home is a likely location for a fall – but it doesn’t have to be! It’s a myth that all home safety improvements require lots of time, money, and expertise. In fact, most household hazards can be minimized or eliminated with very little effort. Here are just a few:

Lighting: Use night lights and motion detectors inside and outside and keep a light beside your bed with an easy-to-reach switch

Tripping hazards: Keep your house free of clutter by throwing out unused items and remove scatter rugs or tape down the edges

Bathroom: Use non-slip mats inside and outside bathtubs and showers and have the toilet paper within reach

Outside: Watch for uneven surfaces or rocks and use ice grippers on your boots to help you balance

Now that your home is safe, make sure you aren’t a hazard to yourself. Older adults sometimes experience dizziness as a result of their medications, changes in blood pressure, dehydration, and medical conditions. Dizziness makes it easier to fall, so if you have been feeling dizzy tell your health care provider right away.

What You Can Do – Seniors

Make the small changes above to your home to keep it safe. For more ideas, check out our new resource.

Drink 6-8 glasses of water each day to prevent dizziness due to dehydration.

Ask your health care provider for a referral to the CCAC or another agency for a home safety assessment if you are feeling unsafe in your home.

What You Can Do – Families and Friends

Assist your loved ones in making changes to improve the safety of their home – install handrails or grab bars, shovel the driveway, and replace burnt out light bulbs.

Encourage your loved ones to tell their doctor about any dizziness they experience.

Keep your home safe for when your loved ones visit by making the small changes above.

What You Can Do – Professionals

Ask your clients if they have been feeling dizzy lately.

Refer your clients to CCAC or another agency for a home safety assessment if appropriate.

Review your clients’ medications regularly and take their blood pressure while they are lying down and standing up if they complain of dizziness when getting up.

Sandy has a doctor’s appointment at 10:00 am, but it’s already past 9:30 and it’s raining outside. If Sandy is late, the doctor will give away the appointment and it will be at least another week before Sandy can get another appointment. To get there on time, Sandy rushes down the stairs, throws on an old pair of shoes without tying the laces, and runs to the car through the rain. After the 25-minute drive, Sandy parks the car at the doctor’s office and jumps out. The parking lot is covered with potholes and curbs, but Sandy has just 2 minutes to get to the doctor’s office on the third floor. Expecting the elevator will take too long, Sandy goes up the stairs two at a time.

Does this scenario sound familiar? Everyone has those days where the clock moves faster than the feet, but Sandy is now at a greater risk for a fall. To stay safe and reduce the risk of falling, older adults need to be careful and wear the right shoes. Even though we can largely control our activity levels and eating habits, and how often we review our medications, we can’t always control the weather or the environment around us.

Sandy could have been safer – and be less likely to fall – by:

Walking down the stairs at home and to the car, then slowly climbing the stairs – one step at a time – at the doctor’s office;

Paying attention to and avoiding the potholes;

Stepping carefully around and over the curbs; and

Wearing shoes with good grip and support and tying the laces.

Shoes should have a wide, rounded heel with a sole that provides grip without sticking to the carpet. Foot care is important, too! When our feet are sore and swollen, have open sores or corns, or aren’t well taken care of, the way we walk can change. Take care of your feet and toenails by washing them in warm water, trimming nails straight across and not too short, and placing swollen feet on a stool when sitting.

Fall prevention requires attention from the bottoms of our feet to the tops of our heads and all around us!

What You Can Do – Seniors

Buy well-fitting, supportive shoes. Check out our new resource for selecting the right shoe!

Take your time and pay attention – it’s better to be a few minutes late than to have a fall!

Stick to safer public places: well-lit walkways, shoveled sidewalks, and stairs with handrails.

What You Can Do – Families and Friends

Remind your loved ones to slow down and watch their step.

Be patient. Be a good role model by allowing your loved ones to move safely – even if it takes a little longer.

Point out and report obstacles and potentially dangerous situations, like potholes and broken handrails.

What You Can Do – Professionals

Be flexible with appointment times. Give older adults a few extra minutes to arrive so that they don’t feel like they have to rush.

Assess the risk: ask your clients about the quality of their shoes, whether they feel dizzy or off-balance, and the last time they had their eyes checked.

Maintain a safe and age-friendly environment. Make sure hallways are well-lit and dry, install handrails on stairs, and provide chairs or benches where clients can sit if they need to rest.

Being physically active and eating well are easy ways to reduce the risk of falling. People who exercise regularly and eat healthy foods are stronger, have better balance, and sleep better. They are also less likely to fall. It’s never too late to start living healthy!

Adults over age 65should engage in moderate- to vigorous-intensity endurance activities for150 minutes each week. That may seem like a lot, but you can break this time up into spurts of10 minutes or more to make it easier to fit in! Moderate-intensity activities make you breathe harder and include brisk walking and bicycling. Vigorous-intensity activities make you feel “out of breath” and include cross-country skiing and swimming. Don’t forget about strengthening (e.g., weight lifting and Exercises At The Kitchen Sink) and flexibility (e.g., yoga and Tai Chi) exercises! These need to be done 2 days per week.

When we eat healthy foods, we have healthier bodies and minds. Eating nutritious food and getting the right amounts of each food group is easier than you think! Canada’s Food Guide has special guidelines for adults over 50 years oldwhich include taking a Vitamin D supplement to maintain healthy bones. You can check your eating habits with the Eat Right Ontario Nutri-eSCREEN.

Many people over age 65 take multiple prescriptions, over-the-counter pills, vitamins, and supplements. Even though these medications help reduce symptoms of other medical issues, they sometimes have side effects that put people at risk for falls. Here are some factors that put people at greater risk:

Taking 2 or more medications, vitamins, or supplements

Taking medications that improve relaxation, sleep, and mood

Taking medications that cause a drop in blood pressure

Drinking alcohol while taking medication

Our Falls Risk Calculatorhelps assess the risk of falling due to medications and other factors, including previous falls, being afraid of falling, experiencing balance and mobility difficulties, feeling dizzy, and vision problems. Answer the questions and inform your health care provider of the results. They can help you find ways to minimize your risk!

What You Can Do – Seniors

Tell your doctor and pharmacist about every prescription, over-the-counter pill, vitamin, and supplement you are taking. Use the Medication Record Book to keep track of everything!

Have your medications checkedonce a year by your doctor or pharmacist. The Ontario MedsCheck program allows you to schedule a 20-30 minute appointment with a pharmacist to review your medications. Your pharmacist can give you the information or you can call 1-866-255-6701 (TTY: 1-800-387-5599).

Return expired or outdated medications to your pharmacist.

Inform your pharmacist or doctor if your medications make you dizzy or drowsy.

What You Can Do – Families and Friends

Ask your loved ones what medications they are taking – including prescriptions, over-the-counter pills, vitamins, and supplements. Review the Medication Record Book with them and keep a copy on file.

Encourage your loved ones to talk to their pharmacist or doctor if you notice they are dizzy or drowsy after starting new medications.

Do not share your prescription medications with your loved ones.

What You Can Do – Professionals

Ask your clients what prescriptions, over-the-counter pills, vitamins, and supplements they are using each time you see them. Review their Medication Record Book regularly.

Review their medications each year to reduce drug interactions and negative side effects. Our Drug Side Effects and Minimization Chart gives information about how some types of drugs increase the likelihood of falls.

Educate your clients about the effects of drinking alcohol while taking medications.

Medical Disclaimer

The information contained on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding any medical condition, or before beginning any exercise program.